Status certificate or home inspection: what covers what?

A status certificate covers the corporation's money, rules and reserve fund, and is capped at $100. A home inspection covers your own unit, at $350 to $600.

Two documents, two different jobs. The status certificate tells you about the corporation you are joining. The home inspection tells you about the unit you are buying. Neither one covers the other, and the gap between them is where condo buyers get caught.

What does a status certificate cover?

The corporation's money, rules and legal position. Nothing in it describes the physical condition of your unit.

Section 76 of the Condominium Act, 1998 sets out what the certificate has to contain. The list runs to the common expenses for the unit and any default in paying them, any increase in those expenses the board has declared since the current year's budget, any assessment levied against the unit since that budget, the current declaration, by-laws and rules, all outstanding judgments against the corporation and the status of any legal action it is party to, the current budget with the last audited financial statements and the auditor's report, a statement on the most recent reserve fund study and the amount sitting in the fund, a certificate of insurance for each current policy, and a statement of any substantial addition, alteration or change in services the board has proposed but not carried out.

That is a thorough picture of the corporation. It says nothing about the pipes under your sink.

We have a separate guide on what to look for inside a status certificate once you have one in hand.

What does a home inspection cover that the certificate does not?

The unit itself, visually.

The Government of Ontario describes a home inspection as an in person examination of a home's condition and structure, carried out on site, covering the major elements and systems. The province's own list runs to the foundation, doors and windows, roof, exterior walls, attics, plumbing and electrical systems where visible, heating and air conditioning, ceilings, walls and floors, insulation where visible, ventilation, drainage, an overall assessment of structural integrity, and common areas in a condominium.

In a resale condo that mostly means the in suite side of things: the electrical panel, the water shut offs, the fan coil or heat pump, the drains, the windows and the balcony door, the appliances if they are included, and any sign of a leak that has already happened.

The province is equally clear about the limits. An inspection is not a pass or fail test, it does not assess whether a home meets zoning or building codes, an inspector cannot see or find everything, and an inspector does not provide warranties or guarantees on a home's condition.

Who pays when something breaks, you or the corporation?

By default you pay for your unit and the corporation pays for the common elements. Your building's declaration can move that line, and the declaration reaches you inside the status certificate.

Section 90 of the Act sets the default: the corporation maintains the common elements and each owner maintains the owner's unit. Maintaining includes repairing after normal wear and tear, but it does not include repairing after damage. Section 89 puts repair after damage on the corporation for both the units and the common elements, though not for improvements made to a unit, which are measured against a standard unit for that class of unit.

Section 91 then allows the declaration to alter all of it. That is why the two documents are worth reading side by side. The inspection tells you what is wrong. The declaration tells you whose bill it is.

Do you need a home inspection on a condo?

Nothing requires one, and plenty of condo buyers skip it. The argument for booking one is that no other document you receive says anything about the condition of the unit you are actually buying.

A few things to know before hiring anyone. Ontario's guidance states that "At this time, Ontario does not have mandatory requirements for home inspectors", and that "inspectors are currently not required by law to have insurance coverage", although many carry general liability or errors and omissions policies. The province suggests looking for an inspector who provides written reports, will give you references, has experience with the type of home you are buying, holds an accreditation that shows training and experience, and works under a written contract. It also suggests getting quotes from more than one, and being there yourself so you can ask questions.

What do the two cost, and how long do they take?

A status certificate is capped at $100 and takes up to 10 days. A home inspection runs from $350 to $600.

The fee is set by Ontario Regulation 48/01 under the Act, which says the charge for providing a status certificate, including all the material required to be included in it, shall not exceed $100 inclusive of all applicable taxes. Section 76 gives the corporation 10 days to produce it, and that clock starts only once the corporation has both your request and your payment.

For inspections, the province's buyer guidance puts fees between $350 and $600, and notes they may be higher depending on the size and condition of the home.

Two protections in the Act are worth knowing. If a certificate leaves out material information it was required to contain, it is deemed to say there is no such information. And if the corporation misses the 10 days, it is deemed to have given a certificate stating there are no arrears on the unit, no increase in common expenses declared since the budget, and no assessment levied against the unit. The certificate binds the corporation, as of the date it is given, on the information it contains.

How do you fit both into one condition period?

Order both on the day the offer is accepted, and count backwards from your condition date.

Ten days for the certificate is an outer limit rather than a promise, and it does not start until the corporation has your request and your money. A five day condition gets tight if the property manager uses the full period. Book the inspection in the same hour you order the certificate, instead of waiting for the certificate to land first.

Anything you want to do about what either document turns up has to happen inside the condition period. Our guide on the difference between a firm offer and a conditional offer covers what that window actually protects.

Rules and figures here are current as of 3 September 2026 and come from the Condominium Act, 1998, Ontario Regulation 48/01, and the Government of Ontario's guidance for home buyers. This is general information and not legal advice.